2.5 stars.

I am so conflicted about this book. I really wanted to love it, and even made excuses to myself while I read it… But it just wasn’t for me. The book covers the battle of Troy, but from a captured woman’s point of view. The concept itself is very intriguing and unique, but I think the execution could have used some work.

First the good: this story was layered with a tonne of historical detail, which worked really well for world building - it was very easy to picture it all. Barker also used a lot of modern British words and slang, which I surprisingly enjoyed - for some reason it seemed to fit!

The majority of the book is from Briseis’ point of view - a former queen who became Achilles’ slave after her city fell. But there were also some chapters written in the 3rd person following Achilles. Here is where the story started to fall apart for me; the back and forth between the two was jarring and repeatedly pulled me out of the story.

And then there was the writing itself. The prose was dry and the pacing ploddingly slow. The captured women go through the worst hell you can imagine, but it was all told with such distance that there was little to no emotional impact. I’d almost describe it as a ‘fictional textbook’ if that makes any sense.

Oh well.